This story is coming in under the wire, but since it isn't Christmas morning, yet, I think I'm pretty safe. Morgan/Garcia are propelling this Christmas two shot. A case has taken the team out of town right before the holidays leaving Pen to care for Morgan's house and dog Clooney. But Santa has been known to work miracles and he has one up his sleeve on the night before Christmas.

The prompts were: "Angels We Have Heard on High" (for song), snow on Christmas Eve, cocoa with marshmallows, and an unexpected present.

For Sangreal7. Hope your Christmas is full of blessings, family, and love to last through out the New Year.

Angels We Have Heard On High

"Good Tidings to all - my foot!" Penelope Garcia muttered as she threw Esther in park and turned off the engine. Closing her eyes, she sighed. It had been a long week at work - and that didn't even include not having the team around. Especially that one special person who managed to brighten her day no matter what: Derek Morgan, her very own living, breathing chocolate angel. How she'd love to put him atop her Christmas tree. And why not? He was every woman's dream come true.

Except that dream come true was out with the team trying to solve a child abduction in Northern Nevada. Those cases were brutal - and tricky at best - so there was no telling when he might be home. From the look of the overcast sky and the weather reports, even if the case had gone on another week it wouldn't have mattered because the jet wouldn't have been allowed to fly. No wheels up for the team this Christmas.

She could handle the loneliness and solitude of celebrating the season by herself - she'd done it for so many years - but she couldn't handle the rudeness that came with "Peace On Earth". It seemed the closer it got to Christmas, the more people forgot about the "reason for the season".

Still, there was no excuse for the rude comment from the cashier at the coffee kiosk yesterday, or the man who gave her the bird when she motioned for him to go first at the four way stop. Even the lady behind her at the convenient store had muttered "Hurry it up, bitch" when she couldn't find her debit card.

Tears pricked her eyes. How she wished she could see JJ and Em right now. They always knew how to cheer her up after emotional meltdowns - a bottle of fine wine and some romantic comedies that seemed to hit the spot.

Well, the team would all be on stand down once they arrived back in Quantico; maybe they w could get together then. Right now, she needed to concentrate on the making sure Clooney was taken care of. That was her only tie to Derek and the one responsibility that paled even her most hardcore BAU tasks.

She couldn't sleep with Derek, but she could sleep with his dog. That was a small consolation that didn't seem to really help her broken heart. Okay, so she and Derek had never actually consummated their friendship with anything more than a kiss - but a girl could still dream, right? And volunteering to house and dog sit couldn't hurt matters either.

Gathering up her packages, Pen hurried from the cold into the warmth and security of the house and into the eager paws of a red nosed Pit bull with a tail that was more of a lethal weapon than the dog himself.

"Hey, boy," Pen greeted as Clooney licked her face. "Oh, doggy slobber; what a way to end the day," she chided sarcastically. Wiping the kiss away with the back of her hand, she pushed Clooney down. "Do you need to go outside?"

Clooney barked in agreement, his tail wagged faster. Pen stepped back to avoid being hit as he rushed out the back door. Deep throaty barks filled the freezing air as Clooney ran around in the snow. Leaning against the frame, Pen let her mind drift off into fantasies of a perfect Christmas that couldn't be.

Shivering against the cold, she called Clooney back inside. Rubbing her hands vigorously to get the feeling back, she made her way to the cupboard for the tea kettle she knew that Derek kept hidden. A cup of hot cocoa with marshmallows would more than hit the spot on this lonely and bleak Christmas Eve. There was a pizza in the freezer she could throw in the microwave for later while she and the dog watched "It's A Wonderful Life".

Pen kept her thoughts blank as the water boiled. When the sharp whistle of steam filled the air, she quickly poured the boiling water into the waiting cup. The aromatic scent of chocolate teased her senses. Wrapping her hands around the ceramic, she carried the mug that was literally overflowing with baby marshmallows into the living room and settled on the couch.

Looking around the quaint room, her eyes settled on the corner. There was no tree. She had forgotten the tree. Well, it was too late to do anything about it now. Maybe Derek wouldn't notice that she had gotten so side-tracked with the case when he saw how well Clooney had been taken care of.

She picked up the remote and turned on the stereo. The melodious sounds of Amy Grant's "Angels We Have Heard On High" filled the room. It was one of her guilty pleasures and she didn't feel so bad to indulge it once a year around the season. Softly she sang along as she sipped her cocoa. But her heart still wished for Derek.

A sudden pounding on the door shook her out of her reverie. Setting the cup down, she wondered who could be visiting Derek's place on the night before Christmas. Pattering across the hardwood floor, she looked thru the peephole but found it blocked by an object. Her hand paused on the lock. She shouldn't open the door unarmed; maybe she could pretend that she wasn't home.

The pounding happened again nearly causing her to jump out of her skin.

"Pen! I know you're in there! Open the door before I freeze to death!" the voice called out.

Pen? Quickly, she threw the deadbolt and opened the door. She was greeted by a large Evergreen. The tree was shifted to reveal Derek's smiling face.

"It's about time you opened the door, Baby Girl," he chided. "I thought I was going to have to set the tree up out here on the porch."

"What?" she asked stupidly as her brain tried to comprehend his presence.

Derek leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips. "Mmmm, you taste like chocolate. Tell me that you have some of that for me." He waited for a response that didn't come. "Tell you what - let me get this inside and then we'll talk."

Pen stepped aside as he pushed and pulled the tall tree inside. How in the world was Derek Morgan standing in the living room? Her brain tried to comprehend the moment but gave up.

Leaning the tree against the wall, Derek stood back and rubbed his hands together. "Man, it's cold out there; they say the storm is on the way. Guess it's a good thing we made it back."

"How?" Pen looked at him. She wanted to throw herself in his arms then weighed the consequences. Suddenly, out of no where, sharp nails on the floor sounded as heavy feet pounded. In an instant, Clooney tackled his "pet"; his happy barks filled the air.

"Hey, boy," Derek greeted and leaned down for his welcome home kiss. "Were you good for your mom while I was gone?" Clooney barked his response. "I figured you were good. Let's go get a treat." He left the living room for the kitchen.

Stupefied, Pen followed. "I thought you were going to be out of town for a couple of more days."

"The pilot got the clearing and Hotch thought it would be best to leave before the window of opportunity closed. I was going to call you, but we were up in the air and the pilot didn't think it would be wise to use our phones." He handed the dog treat to Clooney and scratched his head again for good measure.

"I wasn't expecting you back home. And you brought a tree," she said. "Let me get that cocoa for you." Pen pushed past him to turn on the stove and heat the kettle.

"I thought you might have forgotten, so I stopped by the lot on the way from the Hoover Building and picked one up. Do you like it?"

Pen nodded. "I do. Are we going to decorate it?"

"Of course. Then I want you to open your gift."

Her hand paused on the coffee mug. Gift? She swallowed hard. She had forgotten to get him a gift. The rush at the stores and the resolution of the case had caused her to forget about gifts. Besides, the team hadn't been expected until the 27th, so she thought she would have enough time to buy everything.

"That's great," she replied with a false air. She turned toward the man she loved more than life itself as the kettle started to sound. "You go get warmed up while I get your drink ready."

"Sounds like a good idea. See you in a few." Derek left the kitchen. Letting out her breath in a shaky sigh, Pen poured the hot water and threw in the marshmallows. Her mind whirled at the speed of sound as she tried to figure out what she could give Derek in return.

Opening the fridge she scanned the contents. Not much. She turned toward the pantry. A bottle of chocolate syrup winked at her. Pulling it down, she turned it over in her hands. Then a smile lit up her face.